AgustaWestland EH101

The AgustaWestland EH101 is a medium-lift helicopter originally developed as a joint venture between Westland Helicopters in the UK and Agusta in Italy for military applications but also marketed for civil use.

AgustaWestland Merlin HM Mk.1

Development

In 1977, the UK Ministry of Defence issued a requirement for a new anti-submarine warfare (ASW) helicopter to replace the Royal Navy's Westland Sea Kings. Westland responded with a design called the WG.34 that was approved for development. Meanwhile, the Marina Militare (Italian Navy) was also seeking a replacement for its (Agusta-built) Sea Kings, leading Agusta to a series of discussions with Westland about the possibility of a joint development. This culminated in the joint venture being finalised in November 1979 and a new company (EH Industries) being formed to manage the project the following year. EH is an abbreviation for Elicottero Helicopter, incorporating both the English and Italian words for "helicopter." As the design studies progressed, EHI became aware of a broader market for an aircraft with the same broad capabilities required by the British and Italian navies, leading to a more generalised design that could be customised for specific customers and applications. After a lengthy development, the first prototype flew on October 9 1987. EH Industries no longer exists, having been incorporated into the parent when the two companies merged.

Operators

UK

The Royal Navy's final order was for 44 ASW machines, originally designated Merlin HAS Mk.1 but soon changed to Merlin HM Mk.1. The first fully operational Merlin was delivered on May 17 1997, entering service on June 2 2000. All aircraft were delivered by the end of 2002.

The Royal Air Force ordered 22 transport helicopters designated Merlin HC3, the first of which entered service on December 11 2000.

The UK is considering the Merlin as a replacement for the Westland Sea King ASaC7 in the Airborne Early Warning (AEW) role.

Italy

The Italian Navy received its first production example (of a requirement for 36) January 2001. This batch will include a mixture of ASW, transport, surveillance, and airborne early warning variants, to finish delivery by the end of 2004.

Canada

Canada has had a troubled history with the EH 101. Following the lead of the UK and Italy, the Canadian government placed an order for the type in 1987 to replace the Canadian Force's CH-124 Sea Kings and CH-113 Labradors. These were to be assembled in Canada under the designations CH-148 Petrel and CH-149 Chimo in the Anti-Submarine and air-sea rescue roles respectively. The whole programme was cancelled, however, after a change of government in 1993, leading to the payment of cancellation penalties in excess of the total value of the contract.

In 1998, the Canadian government announced that the CH-113s would now be replaced by EH101s designated CH-149 Cormorant. The Canadian government refers to these machines as "AW 320"s, carefully avoiding the EH101 name. The first of 28 examples ordered arrived in Canada in September 2001 and entered service the following year.

The EH101 was again part of a Canadian competition (the Maritime Helicopter Project), versus the Sikorsky S-92, for a total price tag of CA$5 billion. The Sikorsky entry won the competition on July 23, 2004. Controversy again followed this procurement process, centering around several points:

The alleged unwillingness of the Liberal government to select an aircraft which had previously been rejected by a prior Liberal administration.
The smaller size and payload of the S-92 in comparison to the EH101, for an almost identical price.
Nearly CA$1.2 billion in industrial offsets by Sikorsky.
The inability by Sikorsky, some say, to prepare the S-92 for military use. It should be noted that the S-92 is merely an enlarged version of an already-flying maritime patrol helicopter, the SH-60 Seahawk, and that Sikorsky has a long tradition in the maritime patrol field.

Delivery is to begin in 2008, with one being delivered each month after that. The contract price tag also includes maintenance for a 20-year period.

The CH-149 variant was been grounded for some time due to cracks in tail rotors. In November, 2004, the Canadian government allowed the type to fly again. The incident may have a negative impact on the US101 competition for Marine One.

Japan

The Tokyo Police became the first civil customer for the type when they purchased a single example in 1998. In 2003, the Japanese Navy announced an order for 14 aircraft to use in the ASW role.

Others

In 2001, both Portugal and Denmark announced purchases of the EH101 for SAR duties.

US101

Also in 2001 AgustaWestland signed a deal with Lockheed Martin to market the aircraft in the US under the designation US101. It is competing for the VIP and "Marine One" Presidential transport roles currently carried out by H-3 Sea King or the smaller UH-60 Black Hawk. The US101 would be built in the United States and fitted with largely American systems and equipment, General Electric turboshafts for example.

Specifications (Merlin HM.1)

General Characteristics

Crew: four
Length: 74 ft 10 in (22.81 m)
Main rotor diameter: 61 ft 0 in (18.59 m)
Height: 21 ft 10 in (6.65 m)
Main rotor area: 2,992 ft² (271 m²)
Empty: 23,150 lb (10,500 kg)
Loaded: lb ( kg)
Maximum takeoff: 32,188 lb (14,600 kg)
Powerplant: 3 × Rolls-Royce/Turbomeca RTM322-01 turboshafts, 2,312 shp (1,725 kW) each

Performance

Maximum speed: 192 mph (309 km/h)
Range: miles ( km)
Service ceiling: ft ( m)
Rate of climb: ft/min ( m/min)
Main rotor loading: lb/ft² ( kg/m²)
Power/Mass: hp/lb ( kW/kg)

Armament

2 x general purpose machine guns
960 kg (2,116 lb) of bombs and rockets